Breakfast again at Giammi Caffe and then on the train North to Manarola. This village is the second smallest of the five towns and may be the oldest in Cinque Terre. The church, San Lorenzo, dates from 1338.
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, as tourist poured off the train like zombies from World War Z, I dreaded the fact that we committed to five days in Cinque Terre. But today we explored the multitiered town of Manarola. Stunning! Tangier meets Santorini. Narrow walkways and staircases hidden throughout the town. Photos, photos, photos... Beer & Caprese salad. Photos, photos, photos... pasta, seafood & wine.
Excellent lunch at Trattoria dal Billy. We sat outside overlooking the village. After showing us their catch-of-the-day, Vân opted for tagliatelle with clams while I had pesto pasta. Fresh made pasta tastes really, really good!
This is one of the towns one sees in many of the photos of Cinque Terre. We hiked up amongst the vineyards, artichoke farms and wild flowers and took many photos. Beautiful spring day.
After we got our fill of the town… and our daily gelato, we hiked about 1.5 kilometers to the tiny town of Groppo. We were in search of the Michelin restaurant Cappun Magru in casa di Marin. We found it though it was closed when we got there at 4pm. This trips was a good example of the journey being the destination. The short hike, there and back again, brought us through Hobbit like trails with small farms and little houses. I was convinced the shire was around every corner and I'm fairly sure I saw a Nazgûl.
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